Axalta Earns Three 2026 Edison Awards™ for Innovations in Automotive Customization, Electric Vehicle Safety, and AI-Powered Color Technology
PHILADELPHIA, April 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Axalta Coating Systems (NYSE:AXTA), a leading global coatings company, today announced it has been honored with three 2026 Edison Awards, among the most prestigious recognitions for innovation worldwide. Axalta received Awards for three distinct technologies: the EcoNextJet™ on-demand vehicle color customization system won Gold; the Alesta® e-PRO FG Black fire-resistant coating for electric vehicle battery safety won Gold; and TintMaster AI, the company's artificial intelligence platform for manufacturing tints more efficiently and accurately to improve right-the-first-time (RFT) performance won Bronze.
The three Edison Awards recognize Axalta's innovations that have demonstrated superior function, value, and impact — reflecting Axalta's strategic commitment to solving the most complex challenges facing its customers.
"Receiving three Edison Awards in a single year reflects the extraordinary breadth and depth of Axalta's innovation engine," said Robert Roop, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Axalta. "Each of these technologies addresses a critical inflection point in their use, whether that's enabling OEMs to offer truly personalized vehicles at scale; supporting improved safety in electric vehicle batteries; or using the power of AI to solve the persistent challenge of color variability in paint manufacturing. We are proud that the Edison Awards program has recognized these breakthroughs."
Named after historic innovator Thomas Edison, the Edison Awards have honored excellence in innovation and creativity since 1987. Recipients are evaluated by a panel of more than 3,000 senior business executives and academics, with awards presented across categories spanning new product and service development, marketing, human-centered design, and sustainability. An Edison Award is among the highest accolades a company can receive for innovation.
EcoNextJet™ Digital Automotive Painting System — Gold Edison Award, Intelligent Painting Systems
Consumer demand for vehicle personalization is intensifying, yet traditional automotive paint processes offer limited flexibility at scale. Axalta's EcoNextJet is a first-of-its kind breakthrough drop-on-demand vehicle color and design application system. Axalta's coatings experts developed jettable paints that meet all OEM performance requirements using new polymers, dispersions and rheology concepts. For high precision application on a car body, Axalta partnered with Dürr for their precision robotics positioning and automation systems, and with printhead expert Xaar's printhead technology to deliver EcoNextJet. The resulting coating and application system enables automotive manufacturers to deliver individualized exterior finishes at production scale — shifting from a fixed palette to virtually unlimited customization without sacrificing coating quality and durability, or production efficiency.
Alesta® e-PRO FG Black™ — Gold Edison Award, Flame Retardancy & Protective Materials
While EVs are statistically far less likely to catch fire than gasoline-powered vehicles, thermal runaway in EV batteries remains a rare yet serious risk that can lead to fires, explosions, and structural failure. When one battery cell overheats, it can trigger a chain reaction, rapidly releasing extreme heat, flames, and smoke at temperatures exceeding 1200°C.
Alesta e-PRO FG Black is a premium powder coating engineered for thermal stability and secondary fire protection in electric vehicle battery systems. This advanced coating is designed to resist ignition, expansion, and smoke generation at extreme temperatures up to 1200°C, helping to delay fire propagation from thermal events. When applied as part of a validated OEM battery system, these new coatings may contribute to improved thermal stability and electrical insulation performance.
TintMaster AI — Bronze Edison Award, Intelligent Painting Systems
TintMaster AI arose from the persistent challenge of color variability in paint manufacturing. Traditional methods rely on manual recipe adjustments, causing delays and waste. Axalta combined decades of color science expertise with advanced AI to create a dynamic batch card system. Using historical data, neural networks, and complementary models, the system predicts outputs and adjusts recipes before production begins. The result is a breakthrough in tint manufacturing that reduces the number of adjustments or "hits per batch" and improves RFT performance by up to 29%, in certain manufacturing scenarios, compared to traditional methods. This innovation translates to shorter cycle times, less material waste, and improved operational efficiency.
About Axalta
Axalta is a global leader in the coatings industry, providing customers with innovative, colorful, beautiful and sustainable coatings solutions. From light vehicles, commercial vehicles and refinish applications to electric motors, building facades and other industrial applications, our coatings are designed to prevent corrosion, increase productivity and enhance durability. With more than 150 years of experience in the coatings industry, the global team at Axalta continues to find ways to serve our more than 100,000 customers in over 140 countries better every day with the finest coatings, application systems and technology. For more information visit axalta.com and follow us on LinkedIn.
This press release contains forward‑looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding the expected performance, benefits, and applications of Axalta's technologies. Such statements are based on current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, as described in Axalta's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Axalta undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward‑looking statements, except as required by law.
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